Mysterious Minstrel

Chapter 26

"Are we leaving the Gloria continent soon?" Aileen asks, as we sit together on a bench, watching the sunset paint the town of Oceano orange.

"That was the original plan," Nathan says. "But I'm not so sure anymore. There are more bosses in other continents. But Gloria has the most special events. There could be more weathering fragments to be found through sponsorships like today's."

We're three fragments richer thanks to our win in the Push Off event. I'm still reliving the glorious moment when I pushed the last two opponents off the raft. Thanks to our victory, we're increasing our lead by having the most weathering fragments. Dragoon will be hard-pressed to keep up.

I sip on a virtual pina colada, savoring the sweet and cool on my tongue. Occasionally, a passerby stares our way. I guess the lead members of Mysteriously are a sight to behold at every turn. I'm surprised no one comes up and asks Nathan for an autograph.

"Let's sign off for today," Nathan says. "We'll meet at this spot tomorrow. And then we'll figure out what we need to do."

One by one, the members log off. Soon, only Olivia and I linger. Before she leaves too, I reach out and stop her from pressing the button on her interface. "Wait. I have a question for you."

She raises a sculpted brow at me. "What is it?"

I gulp, hoping that my question won't be too invasive. "What do you know about Nathan? You two seem to be pretty close."

Olivia squints at me. "I guess you can say that. We live near each other in San Fran. I'm the first one he met in person from our guild."

I nod, realizing my question was much too broad. "Why did he have two open spaces in his guild?" I guess now that I'm alone with Olivia, I might as well go in for the kill.

She shakes her head, doubt crossing her face. "I can't tell you that."

Unease buds in my chest. "Why not? Is it really that sensitive that you have to keep it a secret?"

Olivia sighs. "One day, maybe Nathan will tell you. But I made a promise to him that I'll keep his secrets. So I can't give you the answer you're looking for."

A million possibilities race through my mind, everything from the past two members being murdered in real life by Dragoon or Nathan kicking them out because of some type of contraband. Olivia's a tough one to push. Maybe I'll have to ask Mags or Cody later. They'll hopefully give me more clues.

Olivia signs off. I'm left alone in the port city of Oceano, smelling the ocean breeze and wondering to myself about what Nathan is hiding.

I'm about to log off when a familiar voice catches my attention.

"Ah, the famous minstrel Josiah."

I turn around to find my mother dressed in rich purple choir robes. She holds a golden harp, and her hair is tied into a braid. She looks glorious, as if ready to perform to an audience in a royal hall. Her cosmetic enhancements include a rosy flush to her cheeks and silver highlights in her hair. Her lips shine with a stunning raspberry color. Lastly, a healthy amount of iridescent highlighter sticks on the high points of her face.

Grace. Level 50. Minstrel.

She looks at least a decade younger. I stare at her with my mouth agape. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd game a little with my son," Mom says. "Find out what he's up to in the world of Starlia."

"I thought you only played to test out the game," I say. "But you're level fifty. That's more than just trying it out a few times."